Don't Be Cheesy
by ScriptaHistoriarum
Summary: So, Adrien is Chat Noir. No reason to freak out. No reason at all. Chat Noir is just upstairs in her room, de-transformed, which means Adrien is in her room. Okay, maybe she was freaking out a little bit.
1. Chapter 1: Marichat

**For Marichat May! I tried to make it as realistic as possible, so don't go whining that it's not sinful, I mean... come on.**

 **I'll post something for Ladrien June somewhere this month!**

* * *

She was panicking, for sure.

But what else was she supposed to do? This Akuma had been nothing but trouble, that was already hard enough, but when her healing Ladybugs flew across Paris to fix all the damage that had been done, and Chat Noir's limp form was still unmoving, she was worried. They were supposed to heal him, help him get up and forget anything had happened at all!

So, her freaked out mind came up with the crazy plan to carry him to her home and take care of him. Right now, he was on her chaise, still out cold, but breathing, thank goodness, and she was de-transformed, sitting next to him with a glass of water and some cookies for when he would wake up. Every few seconds she would brush away his hair and sigh, Tikki giving her encouraging pats on the shoulder. She was getting more anxious by the fact that his ring had started beeping and was now on the third dot.

"He'll wake up. He's tough."

"I know that, but it still sucks to see him like this. And what am I going to tell him? He probably doesn't remember me. When he wakes up he's probably going to think I'm some sick fangirl who dragged his unconscious body to my house to keep him chained up in my basement." She laughed bitterly.

Tikki giggled. "Oh, Marinette, you're always very good at assuming the worst. I'm sure he remembers you and will thank you for helping him. You can just say that Ladybug wanted him to be taken care of but had to leave because of her transformation. That sounds believable, right?"

"But my house is far from where the Akuma was. Why would I go all the way here? Oh well, I guess I should hope he doesn't think of that. I'm just glad he's mostly fine, even though I couldn't cure him. Why didn't my powers work on him anyway?" She turned her head to the Kwami with a sad expression.

She only shrugged with a grimace. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know. The only thing that I can think of is that it is summer."

"Summer?" She rose an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything? You're telling me now, after all this time, that my powers don't work in summer? Wouldn't winter be more logical?"

"I don't mean it like that, silly," she poked Marinette on her forehead, "I mean that because it's summer, you two aren't close to each other that often. Being near each other, even out of suit, keeps you both strong."

A few seconds passed before Marinette's eyes widened and she muffled a scream with her hand. Chat Noir stirred. She wanted him to wake up, but not because of her ruining his hearing.

"What?" Tikki asked nonchalantly.

"What!?" She whisper yelled. "You ask me what? You just told me that we're weaker because we're not near each other that often. You mean the summer holidays, don't you? Which means that I don't see him because I'm not at school anymore - OHMYGOSHHEGOESTOMYSCHOOL!" The words were out before she could stop them. She slapped a hand across her mouth and Tikki zipped away when Chat Noir blearily opened his eyes.

"Hm?"

She removed her hand and took a few breaths. "H-hi." She waved.

"…Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think." He sat up straight and eyed her, still a bit sleepy. "Did I fall asleep during our project?"

She squeaked before shaking her head rapidly. This wasn't happening. This could _not_ be true.

The fact that he started about school with her indicated that he knew her from there. Plus, there was only one person who she had a school project with at the moment, which they would work on tomorrow…

He cocked his head to the side and dragged a hand down his face to wake himself. Only when he looked at the hand, did his eyes widen. "I-I mean, what happened? I can't remember coming here myself."

Taking steadying breaths, she tried to smother the feeling of her heartbeat pounding rapidly in her chest. "There was an Akuma attack. I- Ladybug brought you here when you wouldn't wake up. Here, I have water and cookies." When he was seated instead of lying down, she handed him the glass and a cookie. "I hope you like them, they were made this morning."

He took a bite and hummed happily. "Delicious. So, anyway, Ladybug brought me here?"

She nodded a bit too quick for it to be genuine, but she hoped he didn't notice. "Uh-huh. Her earrings were beeping, that means she was going to transform back, right? So, here you are. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. Thank you for helping me. You've done already way too much." Another beep and Chat glanced at his ring with a startled expression. "Darn, I'm never going to make it home in time."

"Your ring… you're turning back, aren't you?"

He nodded. "And I'll never be in a safe spot, even when I leave now." He let out a defeated sigh, but then his eyes started to twinkle. "This is a bakery, right?"

"It is…"

"Can I take upon one more request, pretty please? If you don't mind, I'd like some Camembert, if you have it, that is." He puffed out his bottom lip and clasped his hands together. "I need it for energy so I can transform back. Then I'll be gone, I swear!"

"Camembert, huh?"

He held up placating hands. "I know, I know, it's very specific and gross, but that's sadly the way it is."

She chuckled behind her hand. "I'll see what I can do for you." She unfolded her legs from where she was seated and went through the hatch to the kitchen. Only when she knew he was out of hearing shot did she hyperventilate.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh-"

Tikki hovered into view and floated in front of her face. "Calm down, Marinette! It's okay."

"Oh my gosh."

"So Adrien is upstairs. He's not any different than he is as Chat Noir, now is he? It's okay to relax, it's _just Chat Noir_."

"Just Chat Noir." Her voice didn't indicate that she was listening at all.

"Precisely."

"You knew all this time." The dreamy tone in her voice didn't falter.

"I did. I just didn't want to say anything before you were ready. I was trying to avoid this."

"You knew he was Adrien, knew I would respond like this and yet you still dropped that bomb oh-so casually."

She tilted her head from one side to the other as if considering the words. "I might have misread the situation."

She deadpanned. "Misread the situation, really?"

"I didn't mean to tell you yet."

"Well, you did!"

Tikki shushed her. "Don't be so loud. Back to the task at hand. He asked for Camembert, do you have that?"

The question finally got her out of her stupor and she slapped her cheeks to stay grounded. "Right, for his Kwami. Coming up." She checked the fridge, hoping there was some in there from last week's dinner, but there wasn't. She knew for sure though that her father had some left in the bakery fridge downstairs and was on her way. She returned a minute later with a wheel which, according to Tikki, was necessary with her partner's gluttonous Kwami.

She opened the hatch to her room, but it was slammed shut before she could even enter.

"Don't come in!" Came from upstairs. "I, uhm, de-transformed already. So I'm, you know, in civilian form and all."

"Oh," she responded, surprised that her voice remained calm and even. _Adrien is in my room. Non-transformed Chat Noir, as Adrien, is in my room._

"But I want my cheese!" Came another voice that she didn't recognize. It was whiny and slightly high-pitched. Probably his Kwami.

"I know, Plagg, but this is a little more important than your obsession!"

"An appreciation you mean, thank you very much."

 _Plagg_. She had to remember that. "I could slide it through the hatch. I promise I won't look! And you can call me when you're all, how do you say, charged up."

There was a short pause before a slitter of light came from above, tan fingers curled around the access to her room.

"… Okay."

She almost had to laugh at how ridiculous this all was. She handed him the wheel of Camembert and it closed again with a soft 'Thank you'.

"I hope this is enough," she spoke through the door, trying to keep up conversation. Now was not the time to freak out. And it was definitely not the time to think about the feeling of his fingers against hers when she gave him the cheese.

She heard a gurgling sound and moaning and she wasn't sure if she should ask if everything was okay or not. Tikki, who was resting on her shoulder, only shook her head fondly and explained it was her counterpart being his regular, dramatic self.

"Yeah, it's good, Thanks again." His voice was much softer and shyer like this, all the words coming out of his mouth screaming Adrien. How had she never heard it before? Perhaps it had to do with their suits and the magic surrounding them. She was wondering every day why no one had figured her out yet.

She wanted to say more to him, if only to release the tension building inside of her, but after a few silent minutes, a flash of green shone through the crack of her trapdoor and Chat Noir gave an affirmative knock. She opened it and he stood there, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened.

"Well, that sure was an adventure. Thank you for the help, good citizen, always good to know there are people looking out for the heroes as well." He winked and saluted, and it made her giggle. She wasn't sure if that was because he was just being absurd or if the act made her flustered.

"You're welcome," she answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and pushing her toe in the flooring, "but you should thank Ladybug, she was the one that brought you here after all."

"Ah, but she didn't give me cookies and that… delicious Camembert." He shuddered at the end of his sentence and she couldn't help but laugh. The cheese was indeed not the most appetizing one, if only going by smell, and she could already imagine his jealousy when she would tell him she lucked out with a Kwami living on sweets.

 _When_ she would tell him? Was she already thinking of telling him? Was she sure?

"But alas, I need to leave before they miss me at my residence," he interrupted her thoughts with a smirk. "It was nice being here though. I am forever in your debt, Marinette was it?"

Pretending he didn't know her, the oldest trick in the book that she used herself as well. "Yeah, Marinette. Get home safe. You can go though the trapdoor above my bed."

He nodded and moved carefully, mindful of her pillows and bedding not getting soiled by his boots, even though they were probably fresh and clean after his transformation, but she appreciated the gesture. It was kind, thoughtful and very Chat Noir, yet Adrien too.

He was gone after another wave and wink. That was when she sagged to the floor in pile of red cheeks and pent up emotions. She groaned and let her head drop against her chaise.

"Oh, Marinette," Tikki sighed fondly.

* * *

The first school day after summer wasn't even finished, yet Hawk Moth thought it was a good idea to send Akumas in the still-too-hot weather to sit in a classroom, or to fight villains.

The school was evacuated, everyone was supposed to gather in front of the building as if it was a fire drill. Marinette spotted Adrien casually splitting himself from the group then heading inside the school again.

She had kept it inside of her for the rest of summer. It was a hard thing to do, especially during Akuma attacks when she saw him get hurt, but she couldn't get soft on him now. She knew he could handle it and that he was a good fighter. She also didn't want him to question her behavior.

The hardest thing though was not passing out when they went swimming with the whole class one day. He wasn't necessarily muscular, but she always wondered what went on behind the suit of her partner, and then she had the whole day to ogle at him, all the time in the world to stare at the results of months of leaping across rooftops…

Focus. There was an Akuma to catch.

She tried to sneak off, but was caught by Ms. Bustier who send her back to the group. She pouted and gazed at the sky, seeing Chat Noir fly in the air before calling on his Cataclysm.

What was he doing? It was too soon to use Cataclysm; he would de-transform and he was barely two minutes in battle!

His ring beeped and he glanced at it, frustration clear on his face. He seemed to have caught his mistake, but there was nothing he could do now. He had to get away from the Akuma and recharge.

She heard him growl, "Where are you, My Lady?" and she sighed. She tried to find and escape route, but everywhere she went, a teacher was there to drag her back to her place. And with Alya standing next to her, there wasn't anywhere she could go lest she be spotted again. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"What's wrong, girl? You seem tense," Alya asked, not releasing her gaze from her phone, recording everything that was happening not too far away.

"I need to pee," she lied quickly. "Like, really bad."

"Then tell a teacher, they'll understand."

She mentally slapped herself in the face. Of course, why didn't _she_ think of that?

"Yeah, I think I will, thanks!"

She rushed towards the nearest teacher, squeezing her legs together for show and staring at them with a pleading look.

"All right, but be quick! We don't want anything happening to you, now do we?"

She ran through a few hallways for extra measure before leaning against a wall to catch her breath. She couldn't risk transforming right around the corner in case people were close and could see her.

Tikki emerged from her little handbag, game face ready. "Just say the magic w-"

She eeped and disappeared again. Marinette was about to ask what was the matter until she heard panting and footsteps coming her way. She turned and the first thing she saw was a mop of blond hair, _non-transformed_ blond hair.

"Marinette?" He breathed, his back bent and hands on his knees. "What are you doing here? It's not safe!"

Her inner Ladybug that _doesn't_ need protection frowned and she crossed her arms defiantly. "I could say the same about you."

He looked up and stared at her for a second, taken aback by her sudden response that wasn't filled with gibberish and half-spoken sentences. She realized her mistake and loosened her grip on her arms, fiddling with her sleeve.

"I-I mean, you should be with the others too. I don't want you to get hurt." It was odd pretending to be flustered around him. Don't get her wrong, she was still _majorly_ crushing on him, probably even _more_ after her revelation, but knowing that he was also her partner made her relax around him. She didn't have to be nervous around him, it only took her some time to come to terms with that.

He smiled that dashing smile of his and her reasoning almost flew straight out the door. "I don't want you to get hurt either. Let's get you back to safety first, I need to go do something quickly and then I'll be right with you."

She nodded. It was better to not stall him anymore, or herself. They had a job to do.

She rounded the corner but skidded to stop. Just one glance…

She peeked around the wall, seeing a black Kwami floating in the air, waiting impatiently. Adrien rummaged in his bag that was slung around his shoulder, then patted his pockets and the rest of his body as if he was searching for something.

"I don't have it," he whispered.

"What?" The Kwami, Plagg she remembered, asked.

"I don't have anything for you to eat, buddy, I forgot." He stomped his foot in frustration then turned and rested his head against the wall. "This is bad."

"I'd say. I remind you every second of the day to feed me, yet you still manage to forget."

"I've taught myself to turn it off," he mumbled.

Marinette knew that she shouldn't do this, but she _had_ to. Adrien was out of food and she needed her partner. Plus, she kind of wanted to tell him someday anyway…

She was really glad that she decided after the day she brought Chat Noir to her house to bring Camembert with her everywhere she went, just in case.

She straightened her back, took a deep breath and stepped into view.

"Excuse me?"

She noticed a black blur slipping behind Adrien's back and she couldn't fight the smile off her lips.

"Marinette? What are you still doing here, I thought you went back?"

"I wanted to," she started, "but I thought I needed to something else first." She opened her bag and fished for what she was looking for, a wheel of Camembert coming out of it eventually and Adrien's eyes turned as big as dinner plates. "I think you need this." She placed it in his hand and closed it.

He could only stare at her, baffled, not sure what to say. She understood this was something to take in, but they didn't have time. "Stay safe, and do what you do best." Feeling brave, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then walked off. She squealed when she entered the girl's bathroom. Some things never change.

"Marinette, the Akuma?" Tikki said with a smile, understanding what her Chosen was going through but also knowing they couldn't afford to lose any more time.

"Right, right." She jumped up and down a few times and slapped her cheeks, pumping herself. "I'm ready. Tikki, spots on!"


	2. Chapter 2: Ladrien

**People wanted part two, so here is a part two! While the first one was more Marichat based for Marichat May, this one is Ladrien for Ladrien June! So, it would only make sense to end this with some Ladynoir for Ladynoir July. Will I, won't I? I don't know, only if you want me to...**

 **Btw, I didn't really do Adrienette April so that's thrown everywhere in these two chapters wherever I felt like it to make up for that. :)**

* * *

He was panicking, for sure.

But was else was he supposed to do? The Akuma was annoying as it was, but then he just _had_ to use his Cataclysm early, when Ladybug hadn't even arrived yet. And then when he finally got rid of Marinette so he could feed Plagg, he was out of Camembert! In these kind of situations, Plagg wasn't very picky and would literally eat anything, but he didn't have any food on him whatsoever.

Thank goodness Marinette was there. She even gave him Camembert of all the things she could have had on her!

She must have known from when she gave him Camembert when he was passed out at her house. She knew his secret since then and maybe even longer than that, yet she didn't say a thing, not even to him. He was glad she was a loyal friend, but he definitely had to talk to her about this. There had to be rules and he didn't want her to be near a fight in case she wanted to help him. Just this once he would let it go.

When he came back outside after his transformation, Ladybug was struggling, having wound her yoyo around an object, he couldn't make out what it was, but it had to be her Lucky Charm. The Lucky Charm was wrapped around the Akuma and holding him in place while she held it with all of her strength, yoyo string taut and drawn over her shoulder while she stretched one leg behind her, the other bend by the knee as if she was walking and carrying a heavy truck. This Akuma was big indeed, so he could only imagine how heavy it must be for her, even with their amplified strength in their suits.

When he was near her, she gritted out, "Belt. Akuma. Cataclysm," and he was off. He didn't want her to suffer any longer.

Things went by in a blur after that. The man returned to his original size after a yell of 'Miraculous Ladybug' and was sitting on the street, obviously dazed and confused. With a pat on the shoulder and some consoling words by the heroes, the man got picked up by his family and Chat Noir's ring gave its second beep. He cursed himself for having missed the first one, but he at least still had some time. Ladybug had already left the area and was nowhere to be seen. He gave the lingering people a wave before disappearing himself, heading for the school grounds and planning on changing back in the boys' restroom.

When he opened the door to the hallways, Adrien's eyes were searching. Students and teachers were slowly heading back to the classrooms, but he didn't want to wait until after class, he had to speak to her _now_.

That was when he saw her, gathered near their classroom with his other classmates. She was nervously looking around and when her eyes found his, she smiled softly, a tinge of pink on her cheeks. She waved at him then gestured for him to join them. He shook his head in return and beckoned her to follow him before turning around. He waited for her in an empty classroom. He wasn't sure if she followed him at all or if she had seen where he had gone. He opened the door to check if she was in the adjacent hallway, which was when she bumped into his chest. She rubbed her nose and looked at him, then started to giggle.

"I'm so sorry!" He apologized quickly, fumbling with his hands in the air, not sure what to do with them. She walked with him inside the classroom and he closed the door behind them.

"I'm fine," she assured him, scrunching her nose a few times. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah…" She obviously seemed less nervous than he was, which was normal in the situation they were in, but less normal with how she had always seemed to act around him. It maybe had to do with the fact she has known since the beginning of summer. She had time to let things sink in and maybe it made her more relaxed around him, knowing that she was talking to Chat Noir. It made less sense in his opinion though. Shouldn't knowing that you're talking to a superhero make you more on edge with them?

"Well?"

He hadn't realized he was silent all this time. He scraped his throat. "You, uhm, know who I am."

She nodded. "I do."

"And you are going to keep that secret?"

"I will, don't worry."

"And you're not going do to anything stupid like jumping into action and taking hits, just because you know it's me?"

She scoffed to his surprise. "That's coming from you?"

He tilted his head to the side, puzzled. "Pardon?"

She noticed her mistake and her eyes went wide. "I-I mean, that's what you always do with Ladybug, right? Jumping in front of her to take hits and stuff? Seems kind of hypocritical to tell me to not do that if you're not really such a role model yourself with that."

"Yeah, but I have a magic suit that can protect me. I just don't want you to get hurt, okay? Please?"

"Fine," she breathed out. She stared at the floor before meeting his gaze again, her eyes having an emotion in them he couldn't quite read. "But Ladybug has a protective suit herself then, right? Why would you do all that dangerous stuff if she could handle it just as much as you can?"

He smiled a sad smile. "Just because we don't feel that much pain doesn't mean certain hits don't have any effect on us. She is the important one, she can bring everything back to normal. It's my job to make sure she's able to do that."

Her gaze lowered again. "Right, right…"

"Besides," he perked up, "I care about her. I would do anything for her just to make sure she doesn't have to go through all the stuff I go through."

"But you're important too!" She argued, stepping closer. "And I'm sure Ladybug feels the same way. She probably feels terrible every time something like that happens. Haven't you thought of that?"

The anger she suddenly showed reminded him of someone, but he put it to the back of his mind. "She understands."

"But Adrien-"

"Marinette," he interrupted, not necessarily in a mad way, but he did show it was end of discussion. "It's okay. This is not the reason I wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to make sure everything is sorted out and that we're cool. Are we cool?"

She nodded instantly. "Of course we are."

"Good." He rested a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. "I know we have class, so if you have any questions, I could talk to you… tonight?"

"You want to call me tonight?" She asked.

"I meant more like… face to face."

She frowned before realization dawned on her. "Oh! Yes, sure! Tonight. Good. You're going to be in my room tonight. With me. That's okay. Cool. Totally awesome."

"If you're uncomfortable with that we could-"

"No! It's okay. Let's head back to class. I'll see you tonight. In my room. Tonight."

Adrien chuckled and shook his head, amused.

* * *

"Plagg, what time is it?" Adrien called from the shower, rubbing the last remnants of shampoo from his hair.

"Almost twelve," he answered, not moving from his spot on Adrien's pillow on his bed, all curled up and resting before his Chosen had to leave for his date that was _certainly not a date_ , according to Adrien.

A few minutes later, steam erupted from the bathroom when the door was opened, showing Adrien with a towel around his waist. He wordlessly headed for his phone that was on his desk. He checked the message he sent Marinette almost one and a half hour ago, but it was still left read but unanswered. Maybe she was busy, but if she was busy he couldn't visit her. He specifically asked her in the text if she was still cool with him coming over, because he wouldn't leave the house without her consent. He didn't want to creep her out or make her scared of him by suddenly appearing in her room. He had to know if she was there.

"She hasn't responded yet," Adrien thought out loud, Plagg groaning because this was the third time he'd said that since he sent the text.

"She already said she was okay with it at school. Just go already."

"But what if she isn't home?"

"She would have told you so. She probably hasn't responded because she doesn't want to repeat herself. So stop whining, get dressed and transform before I change my mind. It's getting late, you shouldn't be out past midnight."

Adrien grinned. "Ahw, you care about me a lot, don't you?"

"Shut up," he grumbled, getting up and stretching like and actual cat before flying in front of his face. "Now, let's go. I'm too tired as it is."

"But I'm not even dressed," Adrien chuckled.

Plagg yawned, stretching once more. "Then get dressed. I'm not the one promising to go on dates with girls."

Adrien rolled his eyes, moving towards his closet. "It's not a date, Plagg."

He shrugged. "Sure it's not. You only planned this out, are really eager to go and-"

Adrien looked up from where he was staring at the contents of his closet when Plagg didn't finish his sentence. He spotted a glimpse of him hiding in the bathroom and he cocked an eyebrow. Why did he stop talking and suddenly fly away?

A forced cough made his head turn to the row of windows, Ladybug perched on the edge of one open one with her legs crossed.

"Ladybug?"

"You shouldn't leave your window open. I know this place is heavily guarded, but you never know. And you're pretty vulnerable…" She took him in from head to toe, her cheeks turning a dark pink. She shook her head and rubbed her hands on her thighs in a nervous gesture.

"Why are you here?" As far she knew, they didn't know each other (except from a few Akumas). There was no reason for her to be here right now.

"I think you know." She stepped in the room looking around, more as a distraction and to make sure she was _not_ looking at him.

"I don't…"

When she looked at him and her gaze lingered with a sad smile, something clicked.

"Marinette."

She was taken aback for a second but then nodded. "This wasn't really my plan, but since you already know-"

He let out a deep sigh. "Marinette told you, didn't she?"

It took her some time to respond. "What?"

"I don't know how, but she told you! And she promised to not tell anyone! Dang it!" He flopped down on his bed with his hands covering his face and he groaned.

"Adrien."

"I guess she thought we knew of each other, can't really blame her for that, but still! She broke our promise, and it has barely been a day!" He remained on his bed, arms spread behind him and him staring at the ceiling. He didn't notice the knot of the towel was starting to slip.

Whatever she had to say to him now, he was not in the mood. He had to have a word with Marinette first.

He felt the bed dip next to him and then hands covered with a material he could never quite place were fumbling near his hip. She was blindly retying his towel, her face red and turned away from him. "Need to have some decency," she muttered.

"Thank you," he whispered, getting up in a sitting position when she was done. "Look, I know you want to talk things through, and I really understand that, but not now, if you don't mind? I just… I'm pretty much ticked off right now and I don't want to let it out on you."

"And you do want to let it out on Marinette?" She questioned softly.

He sighed. "Of course not, but she was the one that I trusted. And then she told you anyway. I don't want to be angry with her, but she broke her promise and I just want to let her know that I'm not happy with it, even if she meant well."

"I never said she broke her promise," she spoke softly.

He turned to her. "Excuse me?"

"I never said Marinette told me. You assumed but never let me explain. Not very nice, Kitty," she joked, lightly shoving his shoulder.

"But I thought-"

"Like I said, you assumed." She folded her hands, then got up and started to pace. "So, uhm, you asked why I'm here? Well, I know how you feel about me. And I liked you too, but not like that, because I liked someone else. I told you and you were okay with that, but you didn't really… stop with your advances. And I should have minded that, but I _didn_ ' _t_. I really liked it, but I shouldn't because I liked _someone else_."

"Ladybug."

"Then you came into my room, you said all these things and then- then I _knew_! I knew and I didn't know what to do with it. Two people became one and it gave me mixed feelings. I didn't tell anyone because of course I wouldn't, I understand what you're going through. No one must know and that's what we agreed on since the beginning, but I did know and I felt like you deserved to know as well. I always imagined us showing ourselves after we defeated Hawk Moth, but it's taking us longer than I thought. The days are passing and I realized it might take a while. And even though I'm the one most hung up on the thought of not knowing who we are, I can't deny that I was a little curious."

"I can't-"

"I don't even know what I'm doing here. You were supposed to come to me, I re-read your text a million times. I couldn't bring myself to answer because it would make things real and… even though it's been a while for me, I still don't know what to do with this unless we talk it out, but we can't unless you know about me. I-I got a little excited and couldn't wait for you so I went myself and now I'm here ready to show you who I really am and to confess everything, because I have nothing left to lose-"

"Marinette!"

She stopped her word vomit at his exclamation. She stared at him, wide-eyed.

He smiled softly. "What about you de-transform and we have a little chat?"

* * *

"What, really?" Marinette giggled, rolling onto her side so she could hide her face in his neck.

"Yup. It took me a lot of effort to close that door, I wanted to rip it open right then and there. But I promised you, so I left. I had been kicking myself for weeks, but eventually I let myself think it was for the best. Being loyal to you was more important to me."

She smiled and crawled closer to him, nuzzling his shoulder. "Have you always been this sweet?"

He smiled in return and continued his ministrations of slowly dragging his hand up and down her arm, which he had been doing for the past time since they laid down on his bed. They were talking for a while now. Adrien glanced at the clock on his bedside table, it showed 1:54 a.m. It was really time for them to get to bed, they had school tomorrow.

As if on cue, Marinette yawned and stretched before draping herself over him again, content to stay where she was.

"Marinette, I think you should go home. It's really late."

"No," she whined, holding him tighter. "I'm not sleepy. You're sleepy." Her words were slurred and followed by another yawn she tried to repress.

He laughed. "You obviously are. Come one, my Lady, we can continue tomorrow. Or actually today now, but you know what I mean."

She gasped and leaned up on her elbows, staring down on him.

"…What? Was it something I said?"

Her eyes glazed over and he wasn't sure if she was about to cry or not. "Am I still your Lady?"

He frowned at her words before smiling and cupping her cheek. "Of course, Marinette. You'll always be my Lady." He pulled her on top of him, encircled her with his arms and pressed his nose in her hair. "As much as I'd like you to stay, it's really time to go. If Nathalie finds you here tomorrow I'll be a dead cat."

Marinette giggled, then reluctantly agreed. She crawled off of him and called for Tikki who had been sleeping with Plagg. The Kwami was barely awake, so Marinette whispered her words to call upon her transformation. It was different from his; both were flashy and glittery, though hers had a certain softness to it that he lacked, but he liked it. It was very her.

Transforming cleared up her mind a bit and Marinette was able to walk to the window while only wobbling once. Adrien's brows furrowed though upon seeing that, even though he wasn't walking in a straight line himself.

"Are you sure you are able to get home like that? You seem very tired."

Marinette eyed him. "First you want me to leave, then you're worried about me leaving, make up your mind, Kitty."

He chuckled, going in for a hug and she happily complied, throwing her arms around his torso. "I never said I wanted you to leave, I just think it's the responsible thing to do. We should do this again sometimes, just, you know, not past midnight."

She leaned away from him so she could look him in the eyes. "You want do this again?"

"Sure I do! I mean, if you want to."

"Y-Yeah, I would like that."

"Cool. Any maybe we could, I don't know… call it a date too?" He gave her hopeful eyes and a tiny smile.

She considered his words before breaking out in a big smile. "I think I would like that too."

He pulled her closer again for one final parting hug. He took in her scent, her softness, her breathing and hopefully it would get him through the night until he could see her again.

"See you in a few hours," she joked, pulling away, but not completely since he was still holding onto her.

"Yeah, see you in a few hours."

They stood there in silence, Ladybug patiently waiting for him to let go.

"Adrien."

"Hm-hm?"

"I need to go."

"I know."

"Like, right now."

"Just a minute."

She smiled and leaned against his chest for another hug. "You're incorrigible."

"You love me," he laughed in return.

She stared up at him with her chin on his chest, a soft smile evident on her face. "I do."

He looked down in surprise, not expecting the answer and definitely not how she held that cute smile while her gaze flickered from the lower part of his face to his eyes. He unconsciously leaned down and before he knew it, his eyes had closed and he could only feel pure softness.


End file.
